Defining “public” in “public space”
A raspy voice called out to me, “Ma’am, can you do me a favor please?”
I was fiddling with my camera at Bette Davis Park before I started my exploration of Reach 2, the section of the Los Angeles River that skirts the north side of Griffith Park. A thin, tanned, tattooed man with dirty, ripped clothes and slightly crossed eyes limped over to me. My first instinct was to run away, but I was terrified that he’d chase me down in this largely empty, largely quiet little park. He wanted to call the police because someone “beat him up,” and grew frustrated when I remained skeptical. I was worried that he could be a threat to my safety — or more likely, that he might snatch my phone and run away. But given his haggard state I judged that he was probably homeless, and my open-minded progressive liberal training as a college student guilt-tripped me into reluctantly making the call.
“Wouldn’t you want someone to help you if you were in my situation?”
It turns out the man wanted me to call the police so that he could file charges against two park rangers at Griffith Park. I held onto the phone, and he cupped his hand around mine to hear the policeman on speaker phone. I only understood the story as I listened to him make the report. Apparently, the rangers had “jumped” him while he was sleeping on a bench, beat him up, laughing at him when he said he would.
“They said, you can’t prove anything.”
His arm was swollen and red, cradled by his other hand. He wasn’t the most articulate, repeating, “I want to file charges! Two park rangers at Griffith Park beat me up!” The policeman on the line seemed pretty skeptical of the story, and asked the location of the incident no less than five times. My own skepticism turned into sympathy, as I saw how many times he had to repeat his request. I would have managed my annoyance better when speaking to the police, but then again my soft voice and formal vocabulary would have lent me credibility the first time around.
Griffith Park is public land. I for a fact know that the park is open to the public as early as 5:30 AM, when cyclists and joggers traverse the trails. If my mother, a petite Asian woman, had nodded off on a bench at 10 in the morning, I doubt the ranger would have woken her up, let alone physically assault her. Yet “public space” is not open to everybody in the “public.” Los Angeles has 32 restrictions and 17 laws designed to prevent the homeless from panhandling, sleeping in public spaces, or even standing or sitting in one place for too long. Something about this guy — his long hair, tattoos, the acrid smell common for those living on the streets — made him a prime candidate for targeted removal. One must properly present as a functioning member of society to avoid harassment by law enforcement when occupying public space.
The rhetoric in support of increasing green space — public lands for local community use — often neglects to address who will still be systematically excluded from the new park or garden. I originally wrote this post a year ago in response to a particular personal incident, but this question prevails across cities and neighborhoods. Look out for an upcoming post about public and private green spaces in Seattle.
Originally published at audncity.com on August 27, 2017.

